This guidebook addresses community change to improve the well-being of children and youth through neighborhood and consumer participation and involvement in constructing services and supports required to ensure sound futures for their communities. The guide discusses a four-step strategy for connecting with neighborhoods to strengthen community collaboratives: clearly define purposes and objectives, make connections with the neighborhood, work to move responsibility and authority to the neighborhood level, and recognize and value diversity and conflict. The guidebook begins with a brief rationale for the relevance of neighborhood mobilization and how it fits as a vital part of the work of community reform efforts. Next are discussions of key ideas and the steps involved in putting the ideas into practice. The guidebook concludes with 12 appendices, including the concept of community and neighborhood, definitions of social capital, a ladder of citizen participation, obtaining resident views, an annotated bibliography of mapping community strengths, the nature and potential of community organizing, hiring community workers, government's role in building social capital, citizen monitoring, involving residents, cultural democracy and power sharing, and Healthy Start initiatives. (JPB)